Q2 Blog 2: The White Ship

The next short story in Lovecraft's Dream Cycle that I chose to read was “The White Ship.” I skipped “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” for now because it had a lame rating on Goodreads, which does not mean it is objectively bad, but I don't know if I would be able to write as interesting material on it as on this next one.

Recurring themes in “The White Ship” were "all that glitters is not gold", and “the grass is always greener." The narrator, Basil Elton, departs his life as a watcher in a lighthouse, a job passed down by his father and grandfather, on the mysterious White Ship captained by a bearded man. As he sails into the mysterious South, he passes many islands: Zar, the land of dreams and thoughts of beauty; Thalarion, City of a Thousand Wonders, land of all unfathomable mysteries; and Xura, Land of Pleasures Unattained. Basil yearned to land on each of these islands, desiring their beauty and pleasing sights, as anything more than sitting in a lighthouse all day looked extremely desirable. However, each time the bearded man refused. Soon after, Basil realized that their beauty was a disguise, their flowery scents turning to rotting stenches, and their beautiful white roads being realized as the chalky remains of the fools who disembarked there, turned insane. They finally landed on Sona-Nyl, Land of Fancy, a land without suffering, death, time, or space, and with unparalleled beauty and grandeur. Basil soon yearned for adventure, and departed on the White Ship for the unknown land of Cathuria, “which no man hath seen.” Basil is leaving this utopia for some unknown land, which seems like a stupid decision, but symbolizes humanity's tendency to take things for granted and yearn for that which we do not have. An important quotation is when he is on the ship, fantasizing about this new utopia:

Cathuria … is the abode of Gods and the land of unnumbered cities of gold. Its forests are of aloe and sandalwood …. On the green and flowery mountains … stand temples of pink marbles, rich with carven and painted glories …. the cities of Cathuria are cinctured with golden walls …. And the houses of the cities of Cathuria are all palaces.

These are just a few excerpts from a long monologue in which Basil completely assumes that this place is a utopia somehow even more perfect than the one he had, despite no one having ever seen it. In fact, he has nothing to gain, and everything to lose, as the waters past the "basalt pillars of the West" are uncharted and perilous. He is literally risking everything for greener grass. Again, I don't want to spoil anything because it's a really good short story, but Cathuria's obviously not going to be everything it's cracked up to be. And of course, expect a typical Lovecraftian plot twist to leave you thinking.
I really enjoyed this story because I think I actually understood its themes (unless I'm just putting words in his mouth), and I think he presented them in a really neat way. The extreme way Basil committed to the themes completely made the consequences stand out more, with help from Lovecraft's weird, dark language. I did find it difficult to identify with Basil's particular situation, despite Lovecraft's use of absorbing imagery. However, I was able to identify with the general theme of taking things for granted and the beauty of the unattainable.

An artist's rendition of the "bird of heaven" guiding the White Ship.

Q2 Blog 1: Polaris

For my first journal, I read the short story Polaris by H. P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft's work falls into the genres of Gothic fiction, dark fantasy, and weird fiction, as it includes elements of science fiction, horror, and the supernatural. Polaris is the first short story in Lovecraft's “Dream Cycle,” a series of stories set in the “Dreamlands,” in which the narrator witnesses surreal, nightmarish landscapes and creatures. I decided to read more of Lovecraft because I read his “Call of Cthulhu,” and enjoyed its blend of science fiction and vivid supernatural imagery. His style of language makes every sentence chock full of dark vocabulary that feeds a graphic of a vast, infernal universe into the reader's imagination. Some bonus Lovecraftian humor

Polaris, although short, is filled with intense details, landscapes, and characters. The story begins with the narrator, currently unnamed, sitting in his house and watching the stars shine above the swamp. He then describes a vision of a strange, alien city, illuminated by the “demon light.” He gets increasingly more involved with these otherworldly beings lives and cultures, until he begins to lose his perception of reality. It is fascinating to witness the narrator's progression and increasing interest and assimilation into the creature's culture, until he begins to refer to the city's residents as “we.” Lovecraft alludes to many stars and constellations throughout the story, some of which I had to look up: Polaris (North Star), Arcturus, Charles' Wain (Big Dipper), Cassiopeia, Coma Berenices, and Aldebaran. He anthropomorphizes them, like in the lines, “Charles' Wain lumbers up,” “Arcturus winks ruddily,” and “the red Aldebaran had crawled more than half-way around the horizon.” This personification, in my mind at least, serves to present them more as deities of sorts than as stars. Polaris, in particular, seems to be personified a great deal and communicates with the narrator in a way that a spirit or deity might. It whispers a verse to him, grins at him, and taunts him. It is also the star that connects the dreamworld and reality, as emphasized by the repetition of Polaris' descriptions and actions throughout the story. I really enjoyed the twist at the end, and it took me a bit for my mind to register what just happened. I don't want to spoil it for whoever's reading this, as it is a really good and quick story that everyone should give a chance. When I first read a part near the end, I was confused, but then I began to make connections until the realization hit me. I think this is a good start to a series, as it established the basis of what the Dreamlands are and really packed in interesting lore, despite the story's brevity. It really made me think; about my dreams and reality, and how Lovecraft really knows how to write in the point of view of someone who is going insane.